


None Left to Protest

by desiDisnerd



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Timeline, And I mean a LOT, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic violence will be mentioned and shown so be aware, Drama galore, Emotional Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gross, Hurt/Comfort, I know, Lots of New dream, Sexual Tension, Tragedy, True Love, a LOT of unnerving tension, a lot of awkwardnesss, also, and I mean a lot of drama, but go with it, but with old people, calms before storms, honestly most of it is mild though, i am incapable of writing anything other than New Dream, its mainly fluff, just a heads up, rating may go up as I get more adventurous, the occasional bad language maybe but mainly just conversations and angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29454378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desiDisnerd/pseuds/desiDisnerd
Summary: Eugene Fitzherbert’s comfortable married life gets turned on its head when someone from his past turns up at his door one night. (AU)
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Kudos: 2





	None Left to Protest

In stories there’s usually hints. The hints that only the keen reader will spot that lead up to a plot twist. The hints you don’t bat an eye to the first time around, that become glaringly obvious looking back. 

But in life there is no such secret warnings. Changes happen suddenly. Unexpectedly. In a heartbeat your world can turn completely upside down and leave you hanging helplessly.

If you asked Eugene at that very moment, when he stood with the front door open, he’d tell you that what happened that night was unexpected. Without warning. 

But looking back, maybe there were hints. Like the way he had been thinking of her earlier that morning on his way to work. 

There were hints like how he had felt restless that whole day. Agitated for no apparent reason. Like the winds had suddenly changed and he was being dragged in a weird direction. 

There were hints like how he didn’t sleep a wink that night. Tossing and turning as he tried to get some peace. Lying there in that bed wondering why he couldn’t fall asleep as easily as he always did. He hadn’t had caffeine since that morning. He had no stresses in life. The bed was comfortable. He mentally continues to tick a checklist of all the possible reasons for his insomnia. 

Unable to find an answer and with no signs of oncoming peace, he glances over at the figure on the bed beside him. 

She was gently purring through a deep slumber. The short strands of her hair falling haphazardly across her cheek. The way she had curled up into a tight adorable ball, clutching to the blanket around her. The slight curve of a smile across her lips as she enjoyed whatever wonderful dream she was having. 

He smiles as he watches her. His wife really was a beautiful woman. His wife. He loved saying it. His wife. His wife. His wife. Decades of marriage had not tired him from the phrase.

Neither could he ever tire of her. In fact, he worshipped her. Every day he counted his blessings and she was always top of the list. She had learned to love him when he was most broken and had healed him with her good will and patience. He was so lucky-

THUD THUD THUD

Eugene is disturbed from his doting by the sound of a heavy pounding at their front door.

He rolls onto his back to frown up at the ceiling. It was barely a few hours past midnight. Who would be knocking so late? Maybe it was just a drunkard. Or a random noise. An animal perhaps. He chooses to try and ignore the sound. Turning back onto his side to face his lovely wife and hope her peaceful state would inspire his subconscious to let him drift into his dreams.

THUD THUD THUD

Eugene groans to himself. What idiot comes to  
someone’s house in the middle of the night? Couldn’t they wait till morning? 

That’s when it occurs to him that maybe there was an emergency. Maybe there was bad news. Maybe the neighbourhood was on fire. Maybe there had been an accident. Maybe something had happened to Irena! What if she had snuck out and gotten into trouble again!?

He leaps up from the bed and immediately crosses the corridor to peak into his daughter’s room.

She is sleeping soundly, as calm and at peace as her mother was.

Thank goodness. 

And the house looks fine too. He didn’t see any sign of smoke anywhere. No panicking sounds from the streets. No noise at all- 

THUD THUD THUD.

Eugene sighs. Well, he was already up now and whoever it was seemed persistent. He trudges his way to the front door and goes to unlock it and see who was causing the late night ruckus.

That was the night everything changed. Looking back there were a lot of hints. Though they couldn’t be explained, somehow he knew something was going to happen that day. Like he had a sixth sense that was warning him to be prepared.

But in that moment, he wasn’t prepared. He could have never been prepared.

He opens the door to see two cloaked figures waiting in the dark, starless night.

He internally moans. They looked like evangelical preachers. He recognised the material of those cloaks. They were from a Corona. Probably a bunch of Sun worshippers here to try and convert him. He missed the days where Coronians were sane... Although, it was odd for sun worshippers to be out visiting people at night.

‘And who are you two?’ He frowns. He makes sure I’m his annoyance is written clearly across his face for them to see.

The taller figure steps forward, the hood of their cloak shielding away their features. It makes Eugene feel uneasy. Why did they need to hide their faces?

Then he realises how stupid he was. 

He used to be a criminal! How could he not see this coming!? In a minute one of them would hold a knife to him and they’d push past him and raid the house and who know what else! But not on his watch! He had a wife and daughter to protect and these crooks would have to get past his dead body before they could get to his family!

‘You didn’t recognise me?’ Says a hushed voice in reply.

Eugene pauses. It was a woman’s voice. Shaky and hoarse and incredibly... unthreatening. Unless they were just trying to lull him into a false sense of security.

‘Should I?’ Eugene responds cautiously.

The figure hesitates for a moment before slowly lifting her small gloved hands to carefully, slightly pull back her hood and reveal a face. And yes. He did recognise her. How could he not? Hers was a face that had haunted his dreams for the last twenty years.

‘It’s me, Eugene.’ She whispers softly.

Even with all the hints that day, he never could have seen it coming. That face. That face appears before him and suddenly all his turmoil came together in one beautiful disaster as he sees the vision of his life falling apart before his very eyes. 

Though he refused to show it. The panic.

Instead, he calmly ushers the late night guests into his home and directs them to the living room before heading to the kitchen, without so much as making eye contact with either of them.

He tries to start a fire to heat some water in a pot.

He strikes a match. It doesn’t light.

He sighs. He was just panicking. He was just freaking out. And he couldn’t freak out. He wouldn’t freak out. He just need to shake the feelings off and remain calm. 

He tries a second match. It doesn’t light.

What was she doing here? After all this time? How could she just turn up here unannounced like this? How could she come and ruin his life like this? 

He tries a third match. It doesn’t light.

She had changed. The years had been cruel to her. She looked weak. Grey. Lifeless. One glance at her face and he knew he could never look at that face again. Because how could he? How could he face this new reality? How could he accept this face and have to admit that the young glowing face that had existed in his wonderful memories was no longer real?

He tired a fourth match. It doesn’t light.

He swears under his breath as he throws the box to the cold stone ground in frustration.

‘What are you doing up? It’s the middle of the night!’ 

He glances behind him to see his very sleepy wife had entered the kitchen. His wife. His wife. His wife. His wife. His wife. His wife. He looks away from her, focussing on the unlit fireplace trying to ignore the invisible feeling of her concerned expression boring into the back of his head.

He picks up the box, fiddling as he continues to try and light his fifth match.

‘What kind of sticks are these? I prefer lighting fire the old fashioned way. There’s are useless. They’re all damp! There’s no spark in any of them!’ He mumbles.

His wife comes over to him, Her footsteps soundless. She rolls her eyes at him and with a kiss on his cheek, snatches the box from his hands, takes out a new match and lights the fire with ease. 

‘You’re the one that doesn’t have any spark, Eugene.’ She smirks before grabbing his shoulders to force him to face her, ‘and why are you up so late? Are you okay, my love? Lord knows you’re usually passed out by 11!’ She turns to see the pot he had filled, ‘and what is this? Are you making tea for the whole town!?’ She chuckles at what she believed was his sleepy foolishness and moves to empty out some of the water.

He keeps his gaze fixed on the flickering flames of the fireplace. ‘we have guests.’

‘Guests? At this hour?’ She exclaims. She tries to push past him to see who was in the living room before he stops her with a grip of her hand. 

‘Go back to bed, Honey. It’s okay.’

‘Oh come on!’ She whines. If it wasn’t for the turmoil going on in his head right now he would have found her amusing. Even as a grown women with an adult daughter, sometimes she’d act just like a kid trying to win him over with her pleading puppy eyes. ‘let me have a look! I want to see who thinks it’s appropriate to come to peoples houses for a cup of tea at three in the morning!’

Eugene shakes his head. ‘I’ll give them the tea. You go back to sleep.’

She sighs but ultimately gives up. One thing about his wife was that she was never persistent. She never pushed Eugene unnecessarily. Knowing his history, his background, she knew better than anyone that sometimes he just needed some space. He loved her for her patience. He knew he could be difficult at times but she never batted an eyelid to it. She loved him wholeheartedly and he cared for her deeply in return.

Thats what made this situation so much worse.

Once he had convinced his wife to go back to sleep and the tea was done brewing, he heads to the living room with a tray of hot drinks and some heated up leftovers from the dinner they had had earlier that evening.

He is at the doorway where he overhears the hushed conversation going on in the next room.

‘For the last time Ayla! Would you stop touching their things! I raised you better than that didn’t I?!’ A voice hisses.

The whining voice of a child replies, ‘Dad said everything in this Kingdom belongs to me! So their stuff is mine too!’

‘What am I going to do with you! The exasperated woman’s voice replies. ‘You come and sit down by me right this minute!’

Eugene walks in and the woman quickly straightens up while the younger guest quickly dashes behind the couch.

Was the little girl scared of him? How had her mother described him in the past that meant her child was so terrified of his approaching footsteps? ...Or maybe she was just shy.

Eugene places the tray down and steps back, clearing his throat, ‘the guest bedroom is just through that door there. The covers are clean and fresh. And I have heated a bedpan for you to use if you need. If- if you want to take hot baths, we do get Varian’s hot water but it takes a moment to heat up.’ He had not looked either guest in the eye during his whole debrief. He couldn’t bring himself to. He turns to awkwardly walk away before pausing at the door, ‘do- do you need anything else?’ 

The woman keeps her own gaze on the floor, ‘no we’re good... thank you... Mr Fitzherbert.’

It felt like a stab to his heart. If anyone else said it he’d joke that that was his father’s name. But her saying it? Her! Who did she think she is? Coming to his house in the middle of the night like he was one of her own, and then in the next moment referencing to him as if he was a stranger. The formality between them was heavy. Crushing. And so unnatural. But he hides the hurt with a polite nod before leaving the guests alone and returning to his bedroom.

His wife sat on the bed waiting for him. He notices the look in her eye. The curiosity. He didn’t know how to tell her. But he didn’t want to hide it from her either. In the many years they had spent together there was not a single secret that lurked between them. 

Not one.

Looking into her patient, trusting eyes made him feel ill. Eugene goes to grab the spare blanket folded to the side.

‘Love,’ her calm voice says, ‘I know you like sleeping outside on the terrace at this time of year but I think we should stay in here. They’re saying there’s storms coming.’

He keeps his head down. ‘But there’s no storm tonight.’ 

‘Oh really?’

He doesn’t reply. He just wanted to get away. He wanted space. He wanted to be alone.

But before he can get away, his wife’s voice calls out to him.

‘It’s Rapunzel, isn’t it?’ 

Eugene freezes. 

She wife smiles sadly at him. ‘The guest. It’s Rapunzel.’ 

He is holding his breath. 

She sighs. ‘Those matches didn’t become damp all on their own. Your hands are sweating.’

Eugene looks down at his clammy hands silently. He hadn’t even noticed. He had forgotten what Rapunzel could do to him. How she could make him feel. 

No... no actually he never forgot. 

He wipes his hands on his trousers and grabs the blanket. ‘Good night, Adelina.’ He says quietly before leaving his wife alone in the room as he heads out to the terrace to sleep under the stars. Looking out into the twinkling fates and wondering if he could find some answers to his predicament among their constellations. 

That night everything changed. Unexpectedly. Without warning. And yet he felt like his entire life had been leading up to this moment. 

The moment his Rapunzel returned to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Basically my mum and I started watching this Pakistani drama in which, just like in this chapter, a middle aged married man and his wife have to deal with the struggle of his first love turning up at their door in need of help.
> 
> It got me thinking about Eugene and Rapunzel. With a love as passionate and deep as theirs, how tragic it would be if they never got the chance to get married.
> 
> I’m a sucker for fics where Rapunzel and Eugene can’t marry because of Royal rules (there’s an old one called To The Man She Loves by LAZF which is a particular fave of mine) but usually those are about the sexual tension of a young starcrossed couple. Or about them fighting to change the rules.
> 
> I want to explore a future where they don’t end up together and spend years apart. How would it feel for them to reunite after years of living separate lives? Could they have moved on from their love for each other? Or was theirs a love too true to fade? 
> 
> I guess we’ll see...
> 
> Let me know if you are interested in more!


End file.
